Saudi Arabia to Build Mega-City and Futuristic Stadiums for 2034 World Cup
After being confirmed as the host of the 2034 men’s football World Cup, Saudi Arabia has unveiled plans to build or upgrade 15 futuristic stadiums, including an entire mega-city. The country has pledged to spend tens of billions of pounds on the project, which is part of its Vision 2030 plan to modernize the nation’s society and economy.
The stadiums will be built in various locations across the country, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha, and Neom, a brand new £1 trillion desert mega-city that will be built from scratch. The city will be partially floating in the ocean and will feature the Neom Stadium, which will have a pitch 350 meters in the air above a working marina.
Other outlandish schemes include the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Stadium, which will be perched on top of a 200-meter-high cliff, and the Roshn Stadium, which will have a design resembling shards of crystal-like structures protruding into the sky.
The investment in the World Cup is part of the Saudi government’s efforts to improve its human rights record and prove itself a worthy host. However, human rights groups have warned that the construction of the stadiums and infrastructure will come at the cost of migrant workers’ lives.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has faced accusations of steering the nomination towards Saudi Arabia, and the country’s human rights record has been criticized. Amnesty International has said that awarding the tournament to Saudi “represents a moment of great danger for human rights.”
The Saudi tournament is likely to be played over 38 days from the start of January 2034 to avoid a clash with the Islamic Holy month of Ramadan. Europe’s biggest leagues are expected to try to block the event from being played in the middle of the season.
In related news, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup tournament, with one of the 104 games also played in each of Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The King Salman International Airport in Saudi Arabia is expected to be the largest in the world when it opens in 2030.